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Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Roots of Bitterness.....and a recipe

Hi, everyone!! Today's Confectionately Yours segment was about rooting out bitterness that creeps in our lives. I likened it to a garden. When the weeds are small, they come out easily. When allowed to grow a while, they can develop a thick stem that requires significant digging/pruning to come up!!

I still have few in the yard right now that need a shovel to kick their stubborn selves out of my flower beds!!

When I think of gardens, tomatoes always come to mind. I LOVE fresh tomatoes...and salads with everything but the kitchen sink added to them. :-)

Today's recipe is for Thousand Island dressing. Before the days of Hidden Valley Ranch, Thousand Island reigned supreme. It is the perfect topping for Taco Salad.

Note: Homemade tastes so much better than the bottled kind. Don't leave out the egg, it really makes a difference. Chili sauce is found in the ketchup aisle and keeps infridge indefinitely.

HOMEMADE CROUTONS

1 loaf french bread 1/3-1/2 c. parmesan cheese

1/2 c. butter, melted Italian seasoning, to taste

garlic salt, to taste

Cut bread into cubes. Place on cookie sheet in a single layer. Preheat oven to 350°.

Toast bread, stirring every 10 minutes, until bread is firm on all sides. Move bread to a large bowl. Mix butter and seasonings. Pour over the dry bread cubes and stir gently to coat.

Sprinkle with the parmesan. Taste for seasonings. You might need to add more butter/seasoning mixture, season with salt, or cheese. Return croutons to oven

and heat until crisp, about 10-20 minutes. Be sure to stir every 5 minutes or so.

Allow to cool, then store in airtight container. These may also be placed into the freezer for 2-3 months.

Note: These are so good. I have even used leftover garlic bread, cut up and toasted for this recipe with great results. Even the most plain salad is special. You could also sprinkle ranch dressing mix in place of the Italian seasoning for a different flavor.